Solderless light socket



July 18, 1961 J sc 2,993,193

SOLDERLESS LIGHT SOCKET Filed May 11, 1959 IN VEN TOR.

JACOB SCHMIER ATTORNEY Filed May 11, 1959, Ser. No. 812,345 2 Claims.(Cl. 339-180) My invention relates to an electric lamp socket of thepigtail type.

Heretofore, pigtail type electric lamp sockets have had the lead wiresattached thereto by means of soldered JOlntS. In order to compel thesolder to adhere to the wire conductors and to the metal parts of thesocket, 1t is necessary to use a cleaning agent known to the trade asflux. This flux has always been a source of trouble because deposits ofa solid residue are left on the socket after assembly. After thesoldered pigtail socket is in use, two types of failure occur which aredirectly traceable to the residual deposits of flux. One type of failureis a short circuit across these deposits of solid residue; another typeof failure is corrosion and mechanical failure of the metal parts of thesocket and the wire electncal conductors. Under some atmosphericconditions these failures have resulted in explosions.

It is an object of my invention to disclose a new method of fasteninglead wires to pigtail type electric lamp sockets accomplished by meansof mechanical clamping or clinching.

It is another object of my invention to provide mechamcal means ofconnecting lead wires to pigtail electric lamp sockets, which means arenot afiected by atmospheric conditions.

Another object of my invention is to provide means of connecting leadwires to pigtail sockets which is superior in strength to existingmethods, and which is easily and economically produced.

With the above and related objects in view, which will become evidentfrom the detailed description heremafter set forth, my inventionconsists in the details of construction and combination of parts asdescribed and shown on the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shell of the lamp socket for holdingthe base of an electric light bulb. The conventional outer casing ofmetal or of rubber, which may encircle the cylindrical portion of theshell is not shown.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing the elements of the pigtail type ofelectrical lamp.

FIG. 3 is a sectional View taken along line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a modification of the shell without anyinsulators thereon.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 is another view of the modification of the shell having oneextruded member.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawing wherein similar referencecharactersrefer to similar parts, I

show in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a threaded shell of metal,

generally designated as A, adapted to hold a screw base electric lightbulb, which has a cylindrical side 10 with threads 12 adjacent the openend of the shell; and it has a substantially closed base 14 .(see FIG.4). A plurality of openings 16, 18 and 20 are in the metal circular base14 for reasons hereinafter to be explained. The base 14 is adapted tohave disc-like insulators 22 and 24 engaging each of its sides withthe'insulator 24 being located Within the shell A. V a

A wire holding lug, generally designated as B is adapted to have prongs25 fit through complementary nited States Patent 0 i Patented July 18,1961 ice openings in the insulator 22 and complementary openings 18 inthe base 14 of shell A (FIGS. 2 and 3) in order to grasp and to beanchored to the circular base 14 thereby providing electrical contact tothe threaded portion 12 of the shell A. An extension 26 on the lug B hasside flanges 28 and 30 which are adapted to be pressed around the wire32 of an insulated conductor, generally designated as C. The centralcontact, generally designated as D, which must be insulated from theshell, has a bulb engaging end 34 which is adapted to receive thecentral contact of the electric light bulb and it has a cylindricalportion 36 which passes through the openings in the insulators 22' and24, and it passes through the central opening 16 of the circular base'14. When the end of the cylindrical portion'36 is peened over, it isadapted to hold the wire holding contact, generally designated as E, inposition. The wire holding contact E has a circular ring-like portion 38and a pair of flanges 40 and 42 which are pressed around the wireportion 32 of the insulated conductor C.

Through the opening 20 of the circular base 14 and the aligned opening20A in the disc insulator 22 is a holding rivet 44 whose ends abut aportion of the insulator disc 22 and the circular base 14. The holdingrivet 44 retains the insulator disc 22 in a predetermined position onthe base 14 and prevents the contact D from engaging the conductivebulb-holding shell A.

The lug B serves to clamp the conductor 32 to the shell A and it alsoserves as part of the clamp to hold the disc insulator 22 upon thecircular base 14.

The central contact D of the lamp socket is insulated from the shell Aby virtue of the two insulator discs 22, 24.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, the shell A1 is modified in construction to have anextrusion 46 which eliminates the use of the rivet 44. The extrusion 46is adapted to pierce an opening in the disc insulator 22 and when bentover keeps the disc insulator in place on the shell.

In FIG. 6 a second modification of the shell is shown wherein twoextrusions 48 and 50 serve as a lug tor holding Wire to the shellAZ andalso as a retainer to keep the insulator disc 22in position.

Although my invention has been described in consider-able detail, suchdescription is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting,since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of theinvention is to be determined as claimed.

I claim:

1. A solderless pigtail socket adapted to retain an electrical lampcomprisinga cylindrical metallic shell having one end closed by anintegral metallic'base, said base having a central relatively largeaperture and also having a pair of lug receiving apertures, first andsecond insulator discs sandwiched about said base, said first disc beingpositioned inside said shell and having a relatively small centralaperture complementary with the central aperture of said base, saidsecond disc having apertures complementary with the apertures of saidbase but having a relatively small central aperture, a first wireholding lug including prongs and side flanges, said prongs projectingthrough the complementary :lug receiving apertures in said secondinsulator disc and said, base and being electrically and mechanicallysecured to said base,

said side flanges being electrically and mechanically secured to a firstconductor from an outside circuit, a central contact insulated from'saidshell and projecting through said complementary central apertures andsecured to said insulator discs, said central contact having one endadapted to make electrical contact with a central contact of anelectrical bulb and having its other end mechanically and electricallysecured to a ring portion of a second wire holding lug, said second wire3 holding lug including side flanges electrically and mechanicallysecured to a second conductor from said outside circuit.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said base and second insulator dischave complementary rivet receiving apertures and a rivet projectingthrough said apertures to secure said second insulator disc to saidbase.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSEckstein Apr. 1, 1930 Ackerman May 17, 1949 McCann Ian. 10, 1950 CoyleJune 2, 1953 Pollock July 21, 1953

